Blaze Entertainment is releasing a Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack cartridge on October 30, bringing native ports of Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie to Evercade consoles, handhelds, and mini arcades. This release matters because it offers a modernized way to play these classic titles on current hardware without relying on emulation. The pack includes save states and improved camera controls to make the games more accessible to modern players. We can finally experience these N64 classics with quality-of-life updates that were not present in previous releases.
Native Evercade ports include 60fps and new content
The development team worked with Rare, which provided source code and unused materials to Blaze Entertainment for the ports. This access allowed the team to engineer the games from the original source rather than reverse-engineering assembly code. Andrew Byatt, CEO of Blaze Entertainment, confirmed that having the source code made a massive difference in the development timeline. He noted that working without source would have added nine to twelve months to the project. Rare was also heavily involved, pushing and testing the product to ensure it met their standards.
- Resolution: Improved
- Frame Rate: 60fps
- Save System: Save states
- Camera Controls: Improved
- Control Scheme: New scheme for D-Pad only systems
The native ports feature improved resolution and a stable 60fps frame rate compared to the original releases. Blaze Entertainment implemented a new control scheme designed for Evercade systems that only have a D-Pad instead of analogue sticks. This adjustment ensures that players with simpler controllers can navigate the games effectively. The pack also includes a cheat menu to allow players to unlock content easily. These technical improvements aim to preserve the games while making them more playable on modern devices.
Additional features include new dialogue and a music player that contains previously unreleased music. These extras provide new content that fans have not seen in previous versions of the games. The company is also working on native ports for the Doom Collection, indicating a continued focus on high-quality retro releases. We looked at the last Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack update, several of the same balance and stability themes came up. The release marks a significant step in preserving these titles with official support and modern enhancements.
The Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack is available globally on October 30. This release provides a definitive way to play these games on Evercade hardware with official support from Rare. Players can now enjoy improved graphics, frame rates, and new content in a single package. The availability on multiple Evercade devices ensures that users with different hardware configurations can access the games. This release demonstrates the potential for native ports when developers have access to original source code.
Source: VideoGameChronicles
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